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Exp. with Ridgid

11-20-2003, 12:31 AM

o.k. so this is my first post, although been coming to site for a while. I purchased the 18v x2 drill .i used it every day, all day, and would say put a substanial amount of hard use on it. after 32 days of use the charger malfunctioned so i gathered up my ever precious hd reciept to go happily exchange my drill for a new one. since its covered by lifetime warranty an all. walked in to the big orange store we all know as "the home depot" greeted by the head cashier stud who after i explained the situation proceede to argue with me about how he's never heard of the warranty and thats its been over 30 days and that ill have to send it off. so i calmly pulled all downloade info about the "no questions asked" 90 day return to place of purchase with original sales reciept. he very quickly got irritated and got someone to get me a new drill. i could go on about another pleasurable hd experience , but ill post that on hd web site. the new drill worked fine except for the clutch. setting 1-19 worked properly, i presumed, but 20-23 locked up and under load, the drill smoked and smelled like burnt plastic. i figured i must have defect so off to hd i went again. I exchanged that drill for another one . clutch was the same way on this one too. I then decided to go test the clutch on all display ridgid drills like mine. they all were the same way. so my big question is "was the first drill i had not right ,or , is there a few defective drills circulating around. compared to other drill manafacturers the first ridgid i had worked properly and all the rest are defective. Would love to know the proper functioning. Or what are the torque specs at each setting like other manafact. state in hand manual. Other than that , I have had good luck w/ my drill. I have owned drills from porter-cable to makita to deWalt and unfortunately had problems w/ all of them within 6-8 mos. except for the 18v milwauk. I'm anxious to see how the RIDGID stands up to the test.

I had a similar problem with the clutch on my 18 x2 drill getting stuck where I could only use 1-19, this happened after the first hard use. I fiddled with it fowards backwards and ajusting the clutch etc. Took about a minute of fiddling then it was back to working fine, and hasn't happened since. I'd suspect that with drill motors, just like a car motor you shouldn't go over 55 for the first 500 miles [img]smile.gif[/img] No one tells you this, but its probably the case. I know the first thing I did was put the drill to the test seeing how many 1" holes I could make in 2x6"s with an auger bit, and thats not light work for any cordless drill.

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Hey guys, congrats on the "new orange!" I love my tools and use them every single day!

Probably shouldn't "try" to overwork your drill, just to see how tough it is....remember, the warranty only cover manufacturers defects, not blatant misuse or head to head battles with Milwaukee. I'd break em in slowly if you know what I mean. Your drill is like a lady, love her, respect her, and most of all, don't push her.

Your gal will be drilling with augers in no time at all. Finally, always wear eye protection when working with new powertools.

Enjoy em guys!
-Ridgid Man #1

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"I purchased the 18v x2 drill .i used it every day, all day, and would say put a substanial amount of hard use on it."

That is how people who use tools for a living use them. You do not have time to "break them in slowly" What kind of crap is that. You market these chinese wonder machines as professional tools. People that use power tools for a living do not have time to break them in.

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thanks ridgidman #1 for all the hours you put in for building such fine tools. Whenever I use mine I'll think of you. Like bob vila. You are like bob saget who owns a cordless drill. Or maybe you are bob saget.

AND BOB SAGET DOES'T FOR FOR RIDGID!

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Are you familar with the HD TV ads for the Ridgid power tools?It says,"ask the pros that use them".This seems a bit over-the-top to me.While it's true that pros have been using Ridgid pipe cutting and threading tools for years,this power tool deal is pretty much just a licensing agreement for the Ridgid name.

Ridgid seems to come in at just under the Milwaukee or DeWalt price for a cordless drill.I am not sure of the quality of the Chinese-made Ridgid cordless drills,and have yet to have any Ridgid technical expert explain to me why their cordless drill would warrant such a high price.To me,when it says "made in China" that should mean,"deduct 50-70% off what you would pay for a Milwaukee".

Looking through todays sale flyers,I can get numerous Chinese cordless products for a helluva lot less than Ridgid wants for theirs.For instance,Craftsman has a 14.4V combo which includes a drill/driver,a 5 1/2" trim saw,and a cordless vac all for $89.99.K-Mart has their Chinese 'Benchtop' 18V combo which includes a cordless drill,sander,jig saw,circular saw,screwdriver,flashlight and two batteries for $99.99.Maybe I am not comparing like minded products but I am still very sceptical that the Ridgid cordless products should command such a high price.

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I am getting the impression that some of these people think that ridge tool makes these tools(wrong). they make threading and plumbing eq. the best in the world. the cordless is there name and only there name and i hope it will never hurt the great ridgid that i know!

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Originally posted by jon: I am getting the impression that some of these people think that ridge tool makes these tools(wrong). they make threading and plumbing eq. the best in the world. the cordless is there name and only there name and i hope it will never hurt the great ridgid that i know!

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Mr. Man. where did you find the info stating the drills are drop tested to 15ft. That is good information to know. Is that the X2 only or all of them. I got the X2 hammer so I guess that would be what you are talking about.

Most likely going to be kicked off for calling him a retard but so be it. Thanks Mr. Man for the info.
I think you know what I'm talking about. You don't whine about a crown victoria because comes with a four cylinder engine. The have V8's